The Myth of Daqin: The Soul of Yi Xiaochuan

After returning to Dongyuan, the First Emperor immediately summoned Li Si, Wang Ben, Feng Jie, Zhao Gao, Meng Yi, Li Ze, and other ministers. He sat upright on the dragon throne, his face so gloomy that it seemed as if water could drip out, and his eyes revealed traces of anger, as suppressed and terrifying as a volcano about to erupt.

"I want you to immediately start hunting down Zhang Liang and others!" The First Emperor's voice was cold and majestic, with an unquestionable tone.

Meng Yi pondered inwardly, "It seems my arrival in this era has triggered a series of changes. Things that were supposed to happen according to historical trajectory have now changed their timelines. So, Zhang Liang might have already escaped and hidden his identity!"

His brow furrowed slightly, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes. He felt somewhat uneasy about the changes in history, but he also understood that his own appearance itself was a variable, and the future was full of unknowns.

The ministers exchanged glances, secretly groaning inwardly. They knew the First Emperor was truly furious this time, and no one dared to object. However, faced with such a difficult situation, they had no choice but to offer their opinions.

Feng Jie steeled himself and said, "Your Majesty, we must not rush this matter. Although Zhang Liang and his men are extremely despicable, their whereabouts are elusive and as elusive as ghosts. We need more clues and intelligence to launch an effective pursuit. Otherwise, it will only make them more vigilant, making the pursuit more difficult."

The First Emperor frowned and said unhappily, "I don't care about that. I want you to act immediately. They dared to assassinate me. This is a provocation to me and a contempt for my authority. I absolutely cannot tolerate such behavior. I must teach them a lesson and let everyone in the world know that those who dare to challenge my majesty will pay a heavy price!"

Everyone was silent, knowing full well that the First Emperor's resolve was irreversible. Their only option now was to devise a plan to capture Zhang Liang and his men, hoping to bring them to justice and appease the First Emperor's wrath. At the same time, they also understood that this incident had caused the First Emperor to question the loyalty of his subjects, and that the days ahead would likely be even more difficult.

Wang Ben stepped forward and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, I believe we can start by investigating their whereabouts and their recent activities and contacts. At the same time, we can strengthen patrols and defenses of Dongyuan to prevent them from sneaking in again."

The First Emperor nodded and said, "Okay, I'll do as you say. I want you to find Zhang Liang and his men as soon as possible and bring them to justice."

Li Si saluted and said, "Your Majesty, assassins are lying in ambush along the route of the Eastern Tour. Perhaps someone has revealed our whereabouts."

The First Emperor looked at Li Si sharply and said in a deep voice, "What do you think, my dear minister?"

Li Si bowed his head in fear and replied respectfully, "I simply find this matter rather strange. Your Majesty's itinerary for this eastern tour has not been made public, and only a few people know about it. If it weren't for a tip-off from within, how could the assassin have known Your Majesty's whereabouts so accurately?"

The First Emperor frowned, a stern look flashed in his eyes, and he said in a cold voice: "That makes sense. This matter must be thoroughly investigated!" His voice was low and firm, as if it could penetrate people's souls.

The First Emperor whipped around, his gaze fixed on Zhao Gao. "Zhao Gao, I order you to investigate this matter secretly. If you spot any suspicious individuals, report them immediately! If you delay, bring them to me with your head!"

Zhao Gao smiled sinisterly, his eyes gleaming with cunning, and replied respectfully, "As you command, Your Majesty."

The First Emperor took a deep breath and continued issuing orders: "My dear ministers, you must dispatch more men to hunt down Zhang Liang and his men. They dared to assassinate me, and their crime is unforgivable! They must be captured in one fell swoop! In addition, guard Dongyuan City strictly, and there must be no lapses! Anyone who fails to fulfill their duties will be punished by military law!"

All the ministers responded in unison: "We will obey your Majesty's order!" The sound was deafening, as if it could penetrate the sky.

Following the First Emperor's command, everyone left and began to carry out his orders. A tense pursuit operation began, and the entire palace and Dongyuan City fell into a state of high alert.

In this tense atmosphere, only the sinister smile on Zhao Gao's lips seemed particularly abrupt.

After leaving the court, Zhao Gao returned to his own quarters. A smug smile spread across his face, and he thought to himself, "This is a rare opportunity. I must make good use of it."

He called his confidants and began to plan a conspiracy.

Meanwhile, Wang Ben led his troops through the city, searching every nook and cranny. They rigorously checked passersby, trying to find any trace of Zhang Liang and his men. However, several days passed without success.

The First Emperor's patience gradually wore out, and he kept urging Zhao Gao to speed up the investigation.

Zhao Gao agreed on the surface, but in fact he was manipulating things secretly, trying to shift the blame onto some innocent people.

One day, a soldier hurried into the palace, knelt before the First Emperor, and reported loudly: "Your Majesty, I have found traces of Zhang Liang and others thirty miles outside the city!"

A glint of excitement flashed in the eyes of the First Emperor, and he immediately ordered: "Meng Yi, lead your men to encircle and suppress them, and make sure to capture them alive!"

Meng Yi took the order and led a large army in the direction indicated by the soldiers.

However, when they arrived there, they only found a few bodies, who had obviously been killed.

Meng Yi's face turned serious, realizing it was a trap. He quickly sent someone back to the palace to report the situation to the First Emperor.

The First Emperor was furious when he heard this and slammed the table and stood up: "How dare you tease me!"

Zhao Gao seized the opportunity to speak out, "Your Majesty, calm down. This must be Zhang Liang's ploy to lure the tiger away from the mountain. He must still be hiding somewhere in the city, waiting for the right moment to strike again."

The First Emperor thought for a moment and felt that what Zhao Gao said made sense, so he ordered to strengthen the security in the city and sent more soldiers to search.

On the other side, Zhang Liang and the other assassins hid in the deep mountains and forests and began to discuss their next plan.

"The failure of this mission is entirely due to our negligence, which also implicated those brave men." Zhang Liang said with a guilty look on his face. His voice was low and hoarse, with deep self-blame.

"Zifang, this is not your fault. The most important thing now is to find a way to avoid the pursuit of the Qin army." One of the assassins said softly.

"Yes, Zifang, you have done your best. Now we must face reality and find a way to survive." Another assassin echoed, with a hint of anxiety on his face.

"The Qin army will definitely intensify their search efforts at this point, so we must be extra careful." Zhang Liang analyzed the situation calmly.

The others nodded in agreement, knowing that any mistake at this point could lead to the annihilation of the entire army.

Several days passed, and the Qin army still hadn't given up on hunting them down. News arrived that the Qin army was still searching for them. Zhang Liang felt helpless when he heard the news.

"We can't go on like this. We can't just sit there and wait for death." Zhang Liang frowned, thinking about how to deal with it.

"What should we do? The Qin army has spies everywhere, and it will be difficult for us to escape their pursuit." An assassin asked anxiously.

Zhang Liang was silent for a moment, then slowly spoke, "I've decided to have everyone split up for now and each find a safe place to hide from the Qin army. Once the storm has passed, we can find another opportunity to reunite."

Everyone agreed after hearing this. Although they knew it was dangerous, they also understood that it was the best option at the moment.

So, everyone started to disperse. Some assassins chose to hide in the mountains and forests to the north, some went east to blend into the city, and some simply disguised themselves as ordinary people and kept their identities secret.

Zhang Liang himself chose a secluded path and traveled stealthily, remaining vigilant at all times and carefully avoiding Qin patrols.